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Your enjoyment of the Internet is very largely influenced by how you see the material being presented. The way your computer and Browser are adjusted can have have a very significant effect on content presentation! The following material will allow you to optimise these adjustments.

The "best" appearance of your CRO type screen is very subjective, and is largely of personal preference, however, if your have a "grainy" or "amateurish" appearance to your screen it may well require adjustment. In most cases your screen will have been correctly adjusted by a professional and will not require further attention. If you ever have to replace your screen or video card these adjustments can be very important.

Take each adjustment slowly and make sure that it's right before progressing to the next step. Each adjustment is "Trial and Error" based, and must be tried and tested. We advise that you print this page now, but  DO NOT attempt to make the Screen Appearance/Refresh Rate adjustments until you are off-line and with time to ensure that they are done correctly.

Font Appearance:
This is a simple adjustment, and takes only a few seconds.

Sample Italic Text:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

If your screen shows this sample of Italic Text as rough or wavy-edged font please make the following adjustments.

Using Windows except XP:
Click "Start", go to "Settings", then "Control Panel" and select "Display".

To print this
page before
making any
adjustment,
please click
on this
book.

Then ensure "Smooth edges of screen fonts" is ticked. Click "OK" to close the windows and return to your Desktop. The problem should be solved.

Using "XP":
Click "Start", go to "Settings", then "Control Panel" and select "Display".
Select the "Appearance" tab , then "Effects".
Tick "Use the following method to smooth edges" then select "Standard". Click "OK", "Apply", "OK".

Screen Area, Refresh Rate, and Colour:
This is a little more difficult than adjusting your Text Size, and requires four separate adjustments. Screen Pixel Density, Screen Colour, Screen Refresh Rate, and finally, the physical settings of display position and shape.

The first three are done using electronic, screen activated settings. The last is done using the knobs and controls at the front or base of your screen.

To access the electronic adjustments, go to your "Display" functions. There are a number of ways this can be found, the easiest is to click "Start" on your Task Bar (the bar at the bottom of your screen); select "Settings", then "Control Panel", and finally "Display".

You will be presented with a screen with a range of options at the top as per Fig (1).

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

This screen will appear.

First, we will adjust the screen area using the  "Screen Area" sliding size scale, then the screen colour using the "Color" dropdown, and finally we will adjust the screen refresh rate accessed via the "Advanced" button at the bottom of the screen.

Very Important:
After each adjustment, click "Apply". You will be given a 15 second period to check the effects, after which time your settings will revert to their prior values. To convert to the new values you must click the "Yes" button asking you to select the new setting within this 15 second interval.

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Adjust the screen pixel size by clicking on the scale part of the slide. As the size changes the position of the image in the small Display Screen will also change.

Fig. 5

As you change the pixel setting the trial display image may move off-centre in the Display Screen. Select a setting which is most central in the display or slightly towards the upper left corner of the Display Screen.

Click "Apply" and test the results. Your screen may not be filled with the illuminated image but judge the setting by the size and quality of the image. Screen fill is important, and should be as large as possible, but the final "filling" can be adjusted later using your screen control knobs. Note particularly the edges of your screen display - they should not be overly rounded or distorted. Select the optimal setting.

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Next we adjust your video card setting for colour. Use the "Color" adjustment as shown, selecting the highest colour vale that gives you the best effects.

Fig. 8

After you have set the colour to its optimal value, click the "Advanced" button (see Fig 2 above) to adjust the Screen Refresh Rate.

Select "Monitor" from the top options, then ensure that the "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" field is ticked before progressing. This ensures that your screen cannot be damaged and greatly simplifies the selection process.

Click the "Refresh Frequency" dropdown and select the next highest value to that already selected. Test, then progress to the next. Select the highest value that gives the best results and just stops screen flicker, keeping in mind that values above 60-72 Hertz may shorten the effective life of your monitor.

Fig. 9

After you have made this final selection close the "Control Panel" and go back to your Desktop (your normal viewing screen). Use the knob/press-button controls on your screen to make the final positioning, size, shape, and alignment adjustments to correctly position the screen image into the physical size of your screen.

Your viewing should now be optimal for your screen and your installed video card - and you you should be feeling much more confident about your ability to control and understand your computer.

So enjoy!

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